The constraints to large scale production in the developing countries are non-identification of fast growing breeds and unavailability of adequate feed. It is therefore necessary to explore all possible avenues to adequately increase small ruminants’ meat production for human consumption through assessing the performance of the local breeds of rams. Four breeds of rams: Balami (BM), Uda (UD), Yankasa (YKS) and West African Dwarf (WAD), a total of forty-eight rams, consisting of twelve rams per breed, with average weight of 17-19kg, were fed with energy based diet of 2.77Mcal/kg Metabolizable Energy for ninety days. The Average Daily Weight Gain (ADWG) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were determined. Eight rams per breed were randomly selected and sacrificed to determine the Dressing Percentage, Rib Eye Area (REA) and Water Holding Capacity (WHC). Data were analysed using Descriptive and ANOVA α 0.05 The ADWG (g) of BM, UD, YKS and WAD were 210.00±0.01, 200.00±0.01, 180.00±0.02 and 160.00±0.03 while their FCR were 3.1±0.30, 3.8±0.70, 4.9±1.07 and 5.1±1.71, respectively. The DP (%) of the breeds was 51.5±2.06, 52.36±1.44, 52.25±2.02 and 552.80±2.62 for BM, UD, YKS and WAD, respectively. The WHC (%) of BM (77.87±4.10) was higher than UD (74.22±2.56), YKS (72.19±3.54) and WAD (72.60±3.62). The REA (inch2) of BM (2.75±0.01) was higher than UD (2.33±0.02), YKS (2.03±0.01) and WAD (1.43±0.02). The ADWG and FCR values showed significant differences between the four groups. BM had the highest ADWG and the lowest FCR values. No significant difference was found between the breeds with regard to dressing percentage. BM had the highest WHC, whereas there was no significant deffirence among other three breeds for WHC. REA was significant across the breeds. Balami breed had the best potential for perfofmance and carcass characteristics.

Keywords: Ram, breed, fattening, rib-eye-area, water holding capacity